Book #2: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami: Personal Conclusion

I just read Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. This novel made my brain hurts after I finished it because it made me think (something that I rarely do). It gave me many questions that I could not kick out of my head. And then, after day-long sitting and lying down while thinking, I concluded these things:

When they were on the hill picking mushrooms, the 'door' was open.  And those 16 children were ‘invited’.

Satoru Nakata. He went there, to the hidden village in the woods. He stayed there for 3 weeks, longer than the other students. It was because he was too shocked after being hit by his teacher and preferred to stay in the hidden village. He also got beaten by his parents at home. For him, living there was so much better. Finally, he came back but he left his half-soul there and lived in the real world as an ‘empty’ individual who couldn’t read and understand like others did. (It was explained that there’s no books to read. Nakata’s disability to read was connected with that explanation).

The ‘door’ opened again. This time, different person entered it.

Miss Saeki. She was extremely sad when her lover passed away. Her life ended when he died.

Two Sides of Tourism

New year, new destinations! Here's 52 destinations for traveling by The New York Times: 52 Places to Go in 2014. Yogyakarta is one of the destinations! I was surprised when my city included in the list. Now it's time for people in the world to know Indonesia as a country with many things to experience, not only in Bali but also in other cities like Yogyakarta.

However, it's kind of dilemma for me. Yogyakarta getting more attractive is nice thing but it also takes its toll. I was born and live my whole life in Yogyakarta so I am aware with the differences in this city.

The Appetite Escalation: Things You Think You Would Never Find in a Restaurant

When I was traveling to Dieng Plateau in Central Java, Indonesia, my friends invited me to go to a small restaurant. We sat there and order a noodles called 'Mie Onglok'. This dish is typical from that area. The taste was so-so but it's nice to try what people eat there.

Same thing happened when I went to another place: I wanted to try their typical food. You know, pizza in Italy must be more yummy than pizza in Indonesia. So, it's a great opportunity to try the dish from its origin place.

Besides, different places have different food characteristics and it's worth to try. Like in Yogyakarta, people like something sweet. Most of the foods are sweet. If you ordered ice tea, you will get sugar with tea, not tea with sugar :D In North Sulawesi, people like something spicy with fantastic number of chili. They even have dish called 'rica-rica' ('rica' means chilli, 'rica-rica' means, well, A LOT of chillies).

Go to different place and try their foods~

With this post, I will not write down a list of foods, the characteristic of the dishes, or its recipe. Here, I would like to invite you to the place where you could buy the food: the restaurant *applause*.

Let me give you an advice before you visit a restaurant in Indonesia: lower your expectation. Again, lower your expectation about the restaurant. Don't compared it with fancy restaurant you have visited in this, there, or that country.

Now, I will give you some hints about things that you may find in the restaurant in Indonesia. Maybe it makes you laugh or wonder or lose your appetite. At least it makes you well-prepared. So, be ready! :D